Folate

Previous research has shown that what mothers eat during pregnancy affects the health of their offspring. But now, a new study suggests that a father’s diet prior to conception could also play an important role in their child’s health, particularly when it comes to consumption of folate.

In a prospective, observational, cohort study involving 1838 pregnant women in South India, low intake of dietary vitamin B12 in the presence of high folate intake in the first trimester was found to be associated with a higher risk of small for gestational age infants.

Folic acid deficiency can cause severe health problems in offspring, including spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities. A study out today reveals that a mutation in a gene necessary for the metabolism of folic acid not only impacts the immediate offspring but can also have detrimental health effects on the next several generations. The new research, which also sheds light on the molecular mechanism of folic acid (also known as folate) during development, was published today in the journal Cell.

In a study involving 1,582 African American women (out of which 749 had breast cancer) and 1,434 European American women (out of which 744 had breast cancer), in African American women, inverse associations were found for natural food folate intake among premenopausal women (4th vs 1st quartile: OR=1.53) and for estrogen receptor positive tumors (4th vs 1st quartiles: OR=0.58), and in European American women, a positive association was found between intake of synthetic folate (4th vs 1st quartile: OR=1.53).

Raspberries may improve fertility in both men and women by boosting vitamin C and magnesium levels, specialists assert. It has also been theorized that the berries’ antioxidants protect sperm health, promote conception, and reduce the risk of miscarriage.

A controlled study of 156 volunteers without history of cancer found that dietary supplementation with folate and vitamin B12 based on MTHFR genotypes could protect the genome from damage and benefit genome health.

In a study involving a meta-analysis (including an analysis of results of 12 studies involving folate and 9 involving vitamin B12), as well as results from a cross-sectional study involving 593 seniors (greater than 65 years of age), living in Velestino, Greece, low serum folate levels were found to be associated with cognitive impairment.

Adding the dietary supplements folate and vitamin B12 to treatment with antipsychotic medication improved a core symptom component of schizophrenia in a study of more than 100 patients. The study focused on negative symptoms of schizophrenia – which include apathy, social withdrawal, and a lack of emotional expressiveness.

In a relief to migraine sufferers, Australian scientists have claimed that Vitamin B and folic acid supplements can treat severe headaches. Researchers from Griffith University are on the final phase of this study to determine the most effective vitamin B and folic acid dosage required to treat this debilitating condition.

SOMETHING as simple as vitamin supplements could change the lives of hundreds of thousands of migraine sufferers, according to researchers. Scientists from Griffith University in Queensland are close to a new treatment for severe headaches which consists of vitamin B and folate supplements.